“Obesity has been thought of as a mere nutritional disorder for too long. It is actually a very serious condition, as well as an important risk factor for major chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, cancer and a whole range of osteoarthritis. It should therefore be treated as early as possible. Up to now we have not had many tools, however new drugs of extreme interest are appearing, such as semaglutide therapy that makes you lose weight and improves the quality of life of patients, as confirmed by the Step 1 study presented atEuropean Congress on Obesity 2021 (Eco2021), recently concluded. “This was stated by Adnkronos Salute Paolo Sbraccia, director of Internal Medicine and Obesity Medical Center of the Tor Vergata Polyclinic in Rome.
Overweight and obesity affect 25 million Italians, the 46.1% of the adult population, according to the annual analysis carried out by Istat for the Italian Obesity Barometer Report. The report shows how women show a lower obesity rate (9.4%) compared to men (11.8%) and how much the phenomenon ofexcess weight is a widespread problem especially in the South and in the Islands.
“During Eco2021 – explains Sbraccia – the results of the so-called Step 1 program were presented and discussed. These are the data of the use of a new drug, of an innovative dosage of a therapy recently used in diabetic patients, semuglutide a 2 , 4 mg once a week, which reduces appetite and increases satiety.The results showed weight loss rates close to 20%. These are data that are close to the gastric band, a surgical procedure, and therefore bode well for a highly effective use in patients with obesity “.
In addition to enabling significant weight loss, active treatment was associated with greater improvements than placebo in all weight and health-related quality of life scores, according to data brought to Eco2021. “How many were taking semaglutide have improved well-being, understood as having more energy, and have increased self-confidence “, confirms Sbraccia.
43.8% – the study reads – achieved a clinically significant improvement in the weight-related quality of life score. In addition, more than half (51.2%) of the semaglutide group increased their weight-related physical function score, which indicates improvements in the ability to perform daily physical activities such as tying shoes and walking.
“Semaglutide is a latest generation Glp-1 receptor agonist drug – concludes Sbraccia – Helps to lose weight by reducing hunger and increasing the feeling of satiety: in this way people eat less. “The drug, not yet available in Italy, is currently undergoing regulatory review in several countries, including the United States FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).